MILAN — Roberto Cavalli‘s owner Hussain Sajwani is shifting his attention to a project that is aiming to support the growing demand for data storage and processing related to AI and other technologies. 

Perhaps for this reason, the Roberto Cavalli company on Thursday issued a release stating that it is “working to find the best path to growth, which includes exploring strategic partnerships. This process will be carried out with the participation of all relevant stakeholders.”

Cavalli is helmed by chief executive officer Sergio Azzolari and designed by Fausto Puglisi, who joined the house in the fall of 2020 and has been showing the collections in Milan. He has been embracing the vision of the late namesake founder and increasing its visibility through the slew of celebrities who have worn the brand, from Taylor Swift, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Lopez to Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga and Gwen Stefani. A swim collaboration with Skims was revealed this week.

Sajwani has been busy spearheading a new major venture to develop data centers around the world, which dwarfs his investments in fashion so far.

Through his company Edgnex he is channeling $20 billion in data centers across the U.S., and $2.3 billion in Indonesia. In Southeast Asia, he has invested more than $3 billion in the development of digital infrastructure, according to media reports. The company’s data center footprint has been expanding globally, with projects in over 15 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and the U.K. 

Cavalli is controlled by Sajwani’s Auriel Investment SA, a subsidiary of the Dubai-based Damac Properties. The global property development company, which Sajwani established in 2002, is one of the largest in the region, with real estate projects in Dubai; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Doha; Amman, Jordan; Beirut; Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Miami; Toronto, and London. Sajwani built the Trump-branded golf course in Dubai that opened in February 2017 and is reported to be an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Sajwani, who is the chairman of Damac, bought Cavalli in 2019, after the fashion company had filed a restructuring plan with the Court of Milan. He was especially interested in Cavalli at the time because its strategic investment arm Dico International was working on a five-star hotel tower in Dubai and other hotels and residential projects have been in the pipeline, as well as Cavalli Cafés ventures. The latter plan, however, has fizzled over the years.

In 2022, Sajwani also acquired the jeweler De Grisogono.

Italian private equity fund Clessidra Sgr took control of Cavalli in 2015 through its Varenne vehicle, which at the time included L-GAM and Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Ltd.

Back in 2019, Diesel parent OTB and global brand management Bluestar Alliance were also said to have submitted offers for Cavalli. Bluestar Alliance LLC, which acquired Palm Angels from New Guards Group in February, owns, manages and markets a portfolio of consumer brands ranging from Hurley, Scotch & Soda and Bebe, to Elie Tahari, Catherine Malandrino and Nanette Lepore, among others.

As per the latest figure available, Cavalli revenues in 2023 amounted to 120 million euros, compared with 80 million euros in 2022.

Azzolari has been driving the brand’s retail expansion. For example, in March it opened its first store in L.A. in 20 years, at Beverly Center, and it’s a tribute to the brand’s maximalist heritage.

Decked out with tiger print rugs from Roberto Cavalli Home, leopard print wallpaper, champagne gold displays, green marble panels, and geometric parquet floors, the boutique brings to life the Italian fashion house’s print-laden aesthetic. The 2,400-square-foot store carries the men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections and accessories, eyewear and fragrances, and also showcases select Roberto Cavalli couture.  In the U.S., a brand boutique at Wynn Las Vegas opened in 2023, and at Bal Harbour Shops in Miami in 2022.

Licenses include an eyewear agreement with De Rigo, for fragrances with Inter Parfum, and a strategic partnership with Genny owner Swinger International for the Just Cavalli sister line, which previously managed under license by OTB production arm Staff International.